Archive for the 'Cha Gio' Category

Hà Tiên Quán – San Gabriel

Published by Gastronomer on March 4, 2013 in Banh Khot, Bun Mam, Cha Gio, Goi Cuon, Mon An Chay, Restaurant Review, San Gabriel, Thach, Unique Meats, Vegetarian and Vietnamese. 2 Comments

Dining at a single restaurant on five different occassions in the span of two months has got to be some sort of record for me. While this type of behavior is generally considered quite normal, it’s really very notable in my world because food blogging tends to discourage restaurant monogamy—there’s always something newer, more exciting, or tastier just around the corner.

Hà Tiên Quán in San Gabriel has reeled in my promiscuous dining ways with its tremendous Vietnamese cooking. The restaurant’s lineup of regional noodle soups never fails to warm and satisfy, while the vegetarian fare packs a wallop of flavor.

With nearly every Vietnamese restaurant in town serving up the usual pho, vermicelli rice noodles, and and banh mi, it’s been a breath of fresh air diving head first into Hà Tiên’s anything-but-predictable menu. Best of all, I’m constantly tasting new dishes that I didn’t grow up with or encounter while living in Vietnam. This place is my edible playground.

The family behind the restaurant is comprised of Larry Ta, his wife Thu Trang, and their daughter Carolyn. Thu heads up the kitchen, while Carolyn and Larry greet, seat, and tend to customers. Both Larry and Thu are from Ha Tien, a city on the western end of the Mekong Delta near the Cambodian border. Hà Tiên Quán opened its doors last October.

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Saigon Classic: Bún Bò Huế Yên Đỗ

Published by Gastronomer on September 28, 2011 in Bun Bo Hue, Bun Mam, Cha Gio, Saigon and Vietnamese. 7 Comments

The Astronomer and I recently traveled to Vietnam for a two-and-a-half week holiday. Three years have passed since we called Saigon home, and it felt incredible to be back. Oh, how I’ve missed the people, noise, and traffic!

After dropping off our luggage at the hotel and renting a scooter to get around, we headed to Bún Bò Huế Yên Đỗ in District 3 for our first meal in the city.

The Astronomer and I used to eat here on a daily basis when we first moved to Saigon because it was located within walking distance of our office at the East Meets West Foundation. And of course, the food was worth coming back for again and again.

When we walked into the restaurant, the proprietress instantly recognized us and asked where the heck we’d been. It’s always nice to be remembered at a restaurant, and even nicer when it’s been three years. We grabbed a table near the front and placed our order with her son. Our table was decked out with the usual utensils, box of tissues, and pork sausages wrapped in banana leaves (cha).

I ordered a tall glass of passion fruit juice to start. Fresh fruit juices and smoothies are widely available in Saigon to keep residents cool from the tropical heat. The ratio of sugar to juice is always perfect for my taste.

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LA Street Food Fest

Published by Gastronomer on February 15, 2010 in Banh Mi, Brazilian, Cha Gio, Food Event, Japanese, Los Angeles, Meals on Wheels, Mexican, Nem Nuong, Street Food and Vietnamese. 21 Comments

Even though I was warned by the Twitterverse of hour-long lines and have experienced firsthand the utter chaos of large-scale food events (See: Grilled Cheese Invitational and Great American Food and Music Fest), missing out on the first annual LA Street Food Fest was completely out of the question—I live for meals on wheels!

I am not alone in my passion for street eats. Fifteen-thousand Angelenos descended upon LA Center Studios in downtown this past Saturday to stuff their pie holes with Brazilian acaraje, Japanese hot dogs, Mexican huarache, and so much more. The thirty-five trucks at the festival were armed and mostly ready to feed the masses. Even though lines seemed to snake on forever, nearly all of the vendors managed to bring enough food to last the entire day. Those who endured the lengthy waits were rewarded for their efforts.

Hands-down the most popular truck of the day was Chef Ludo Lefebvre‘s pop-up fried chicken mobile. In true Ludo Bites fashion, Krissy ran the front of the “house,” while Ludo and his brigade churned out fresh bites in the back. Hungry folks hankering for a piece of LFC waited upwards of two hours for a taste.

Luckily, we were able to finagle a piece from our friend Mattatouille, who was helping out on the truck. Cutting in line is admittedly bad form, but Ludo’s fried chicken elicits bad behavior. The fried chicken was comprised of various pieces of boneless dark meat held together by a crisp batter. The meat was juicy as heck, while the crust was superbly seasoned. The side of sweet and spicy piquillos sauce was a nice touch—everyone loves to dip their nuggets.

The Astronomer took one for the team and waited forty-five minutes at the Phamish truck (@eatphamish), which specializes in Vietnamese home cooking. While my boy was diligently waiting in line, I met up with my pals Sook and Sarah, and we kicked it with Jonathan Gold. Woot woot! We talked about good food, Pasadena, and good food in Pasadena (not!).

When The Astronomer finally arrived on the scene, we dug into one very mushy cha gio, one sad nem nuong skewer, and two stale banh mi sandwiches. All of the food tasted like it was made the day before and with indifference. Mr. Gold quipped that the nem nuong had a Kibbles ‘n Bits-like quality to it. Hilarious. I’d like to give Phamish another go when the crowds have simmered down.

Next, we moved onto Dogzilla’s Japanese-style hot dogs.

Served on lightly toasted King’s Hawaiian Bread, the spicy sausage was topped with bacon, avocado, caramelized onions, furikake, Japanese mayo, and teriyaki sauce. The wiener was interesting, well-balanced, and quite tasty.

Following wiener time, we met up with my friend Bill for Brazilian street food at Sabor da Bahia. I indulged in a warm acaraje, a traditional Bahian street food made of black eyed peas fried in dendê (palm) oil. The fritters were served with a hotter than hot malagueta pepper sauce. We also shared some coxinha de galinha, drumstick-shaped bites filled with savory shredded chicken and cream cheese.

Our last stop of the day was at Antojitos de la Abuelita, a cart specializing in Mexico City-style street food.

Mr. Gold procured a huge spread for our group to share. It included huarache with cecina (dried beef); clayuda (Mexican “pizza”) with chorizo, tasajo (thinly sliced and seared beef), and cecina; mole verde (green) with chicken; pambazo (Mexican “French dip” in chile guajillo sauce filled with potatoes and chorizo); and Oaxacan mole.

I love this city. Check out the complete set of photos via Flickr.

Good Girl Dinette – Los Angeles (Highland Park)

Published by Gastronomer on December 14, 2009 in Bo Kho, Cha Gio, Curry, Highland Park, Los Angeles, Mon An Chay, Restaurant Review and Vietnamese. 24 Comments

As a Vietnamese gal who grew up eating her grandmother’s cooking, knows her way around the Vietnamese kitchen, and even called the motherland home for a year, I could easily dismiss Vietnamese fusion efforts as watered-down versions of the real deal, but truth be told, I’m a big fan. My tremendous love for the culinary traditions of Vietnam extends beyond foggy notions of authenticity. The fact that Vietnamese cuisine is extending its reach outside ethnic enclaves and is evolving in a fresh and meaningful way excites me like you wouldn’t believe.

Once limited to the confines of Chinatown and the San Gabriel Valley, Vietnamese restaurants have recently gained traction in unlikely sections of Los Angeles. The opening of 9021Pho in Beverly Hills a few weeks back inspired me to begin exploring and documenting Los Angeles’ nouveau Vietnamese food movement. While these new establishments are mostly intended for those less familiar with the cuisine, I was curious to experience a new take on the traditional tastes I grew up with.

First stop, Good Girl Dinette.

Located in Highland Park, Good Girl Dinette bills itself as “American diner meets Vietnamese comfort food.” The good girl behind this stylish restaurant is Diep Tran, the former co-owner and chef of Blue Hen. Ms. Tran’s family owns the chain of Pho 79 restaurants in Orange County and Alhambra. Clearly, being a restaurateur is in her blood.

With its exposed brick walls, barely finished tables, and plush mustard yellow chairs, the vibe at Good Girl Dinette is urban and cool. The short menu, which does not contain a lick of Vietnamese, features stews, pot pies, sandwiches, noodles, and soups. All dishes are made using local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients. Beat that, Golden Deli.

The Astronomer and I visited the restaurant on a recent Friday night. Even though our waitress warned us that we were ordering far too much food, we still went ahead with three appetizers to start.

First up were the mushroom imperial rolls, also known as cha gio chay ($5.50). Filled with woodear mushrooms, carrots, and glass noodles, the cha gio arrived glistening and hot. The blistered wrappers signaled that Ms. Tran knew when to leave perfection alone. The cha gio were served with large leaves of romaine lettuce, pickled carrots and daikon, and a soy dipping sauce (nuoc tuong). While the flavors were all spot-on, the cha gio could have used more filling because they collapsed a bit with each bite.

Next, an order of rice cakes with crispy scallion tofu ($4.50) arrived. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I placed the order since the term “rice cakes” doesn’t translate into anything specific in Vietnamese cuisine. However, the dish that arrived was totally familiar. The little slabs of deep fried tofu were smothered in a mixture of scallions, oil, and fish sauce, all plopped upon a sticky raft of rice. This dish is one of my mom’s quick and easy dinner solutions, minus the rice cakes.

The final appetizer was a small order of spicy fries ($3). The shoestring russets were seasoned with chopped chilies, garlic, and cilantro. The fries reeked of garlicky goodness, even though the trio of aromatics had difficulty adhering to them. The spice factor made these spuds quite addicting.

Our first entree was a beef stew, also known as bo kho ($9.50). The stew was served with white rice and seasonal greens (brown rice was available for an additional dollar). The bo kho was brimming with braised carrots and tender hunks of beef, all bathed in a fragrant five spice-laced broth. While I enjoyed the stew immensely, it could’ve been slightly less salty.

The bo kho was served with a side of sauteed Chinese broccoli (gai lan).

The final savory course was the curry chayote pot pie ($10). The hearty homemade biscuit was simply perfect and paired extraordinarily well with the classic Vietnamese curry. Easily the evening’s strongest dish.

For dessert, The Astronomer and I shared an almond jelly topped with with seasonal citrus syrup ($5), which came highly recommended from our busser. After indulging in some heavy duty comfort foods, the cool and light jelly was just what our palates desired.

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Good Girl Dinette
110 North Avenue 56
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Phone: 323-257-8980

Chả Giò – Vietnamese Egg Rolls

Published by Gastronomer on October 9, 2009 in Appetizer, Cha Gio, Family Recipe, Recipe, Vietnamese and Vietnamese. 18 Comments

Whereas the bulk of Vietnamese dishes are more or less standardized, it seems that every Vietnamese family has their own unique recipe for chả giò (Vietnamese egg rolls). What’s interesting to note is that even within the same family, siblings can develop vastly different recipes. While living in Vietnam, I learned that my grandmother’s sister prepares her chả giò completely differently than our family in America. While my grandma employs a pork, shrimp, and mushroom filling, her sister uses grated taro root in hers. Some Vietnamese put carrots or even corn in their chả giò.Crab is also a popular but expensive filling.

All chả giò found in Vietnam are made using rice paper wrappers, which results in a beautifully blistered exterior. Unable to locate suitable rice paper in America when this recipe was first developed, my family used generic Asian wrappers. Even with the availability of better rice paper these days, my family continues to use the generic wrappers for their superior crispness and browning properties.

These chả giò taste wonderful eaten by themselves, sliced atop cool vermicelli noodles, or wrapped in herbs and greenery and dipped in fish sauce. This recipe yields sixty chả giò, which may seem excessive, but trust me, they’ll disappear very quickly.

1 pound medium size shrimp, shells removed
1/2 pound ground pork
1 1/2 cups cellophane noodles (Lungkow brand)
3/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms
2 medium white onions, chopped
3 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
3 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon Monosodium Glutamate (optional)
1 package of generic Asian wrappers (Menlo brand)
Vegetable oil for frying

Make filling

In two separate bowls, soak mushrooms and cellophane noodles in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms and noodles thoroughly. Chop mushrooms finely and cut noodles into three-inch segments. In a large bowl, combine pork, onion, noodles, mushrooms, MSG, salt, and pepper.

One at a time, place shrimp on cutting board atop a sturdy surface (photo 1). Using the side of a cleaver (photo 2), whack the shrimp two or three times until flattened (photo 3). The veins will naturally pop out. Once all of the shrimp have been flattened, run a knife through them to mince. Be careful not to over-chop the shrimp. Add the shrimp to the pork mixture.

Using your hands (gloves optional), mix all of the ingredients together very well, blending the shrimp with the pork and spices. “Massage the meat,” my mother says.

Once the filling has been properly massaged, set it aside to rest for at least fifteen minutes. The filling can be refrigerated overnight as well.

Wrap Chả Giò

Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the chả giò wrappers in half diagonally (photo 1). Next, separate each individual wrapper since they adhere to one another in the package. Set the wrappers aside.

To assemble the chả giò, lay a wrapper on top of a plate or a flat surface. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling onto the wrapper (photo 2). Fold in the right side of the wrapper (photo 3) and then fold in the left side. Gently roll the chả giò, tucking in the jagged ends as necessary. Repeat until all of the wrappers and filling have been used.

Heat two cups of vegetable oil on medium heat in a wok or deep sauce pan. The oil should be at a depth of about 2 1/2 inches. Gently lower each roll into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Add additional oil as necessary.

NOTE: Do not overheat the oil or else the wrapper will turn golden before the filling is cooked through. It is also important that the folded side of the chả giò be placed into the oil first to avoid unraveling.